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Johannes Brahms: Liebeslieder Walzer, Drei Quartette; Martin Palmeri: Misatango; Aaron Manswell: Stick with Love, Poverty: The Love Affair: Waltz & Tango | Jean-S\u00e9bastien Vall\u00e9e, conductor; Charlotte Siegel, soprano; Toronto Mendelssohn Choir; Toronto Mendelssohn Singers; Jonathan Goldman, bandoneonist; Instrumental Ensemble. Koerner Hall, November 3, 2024.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n What can a mass choir of 160+ voices and 130 years of history create, for a reflective early November afternoon?<\/p>\n Toronto Mendelssohn Choir brought us something old, something new, and something borrowed, leaving plenty of thoughts to ponder on, as we ask: why do we love choral singing, and what drives us to excellence? How do we converse in love, ask for mercy and forgiveness, and question ourselves on things we\u2019d rather hide, even from our own selves?<\/p>\n Starting in a gentle lilting triple meter, TMSingers opened the concert with Brahms\u2019 Liebeslieder Waltz, and Drei Quartette. As Liebeslieder was made to be flexible in ensemble format, ranging from the microscale (four singers, and one-piano-four-hands), to a full-sized mass choir, the decision for the ensemble choice is an aesthetic one \u2014 what kind of drama, with what sort of refinement, on how big of a canvas, is optimum?<\/p>\n For this afternoon, five voices per part, this 20-strong chamber choir provided plenty of excitement. The occasional use of solos, sung by Rebecca Claborn<\/strong> and Nicholas Nicolaidis<\/strong>, was a brilliant move, creating an extra dimension for drama and musical variety. The Brahmsian harmonic nuance and progression, often surprising in direction, were sung with accuracy and sensitivity, and the two pianists, Irene Gregorio<\/strong> and Talisa Blackman<\/strong>, provided a beautiful backdrop for the voices to merge and diverge; seeing these two pianists playing in sync, was a joy to watch and hear.<\/p>\n The group negotiated sudden changes, including riding out a lateral lyricism to a dramatic verticality, with relative ease and grace \u2014 the character transition into No. 11, Nein, es ist nicht auszukommen, was particularly impressive.<\/p>\n The benefit of having a chamber choir instead of a vocal quartet also brings its own challenges, as when such work is enlarged, it becomes necessary to create larger spacing in between things, especially in Koerner\u2019s great acoustics where silence can speak so distinctively against the softest, most intimate pianissimo. Most of the transitions, paced quite closely together, did create a floating base for the intimacy of the texts; however, the absence of true silence often rushed the audience into the next event \u2014 daring to be at the edge of breakpoint would have elevated this performance to the next level.<\/p>\n The other contrast, Mart\u00edn Palmeri\u2019s Misa a Buenos Aires (Misatango), was an interesting take on borrowing.<\/p>\n Did the Latin Ordinary of the Mass borrow from tango, or did tango..? Set with unmistakable tango rhythm and graced by excellent bandone\u00f3n playing by Jonathan Goldman<\/strong>, the work had potential to be transformative. However, in promise of greatness, it demands a great stylistic fluency \u2014 far more grit and friction is required, as sound is sometimes crushed into a pitchless explosion, or compressed into a sinewy and nearly invisible spider silk with white-hot pianissimo in its extreme.<\/p>\n The string quintet packed a punch, especially from Travis Harrison<\/strong> on the bass, whose resonant and rhythmic playing formed a formidable foundation with Blackman back on the piano; but against the large size of TMC, the instrumental ensemble \u2014 set to be pitted against the choir \u2014 was often lost in the big sea of resonant voices. The choral singing, though beautiful, did not feel at ease at times, especially compared to TMC\u2019s usual high standard \u2014 their recent performance of Mozart’s Requiem was unarguably excellent, especially in its flexibility and sense of freedom from technical demands. Lacking such fluency, even for a brief moment, is surprising to hear from this amazing choir.<\/p>\n The best part of this afternoon came with Aaron Manswell<\/strong>\u2019s works: Poverty, and Stick With Love.<\/p>\n The TMC has sustained itself as a central point of Toronto\u2019s choristers for the past 130 years, and their social significance is irreplaceable. Current Composer-In-Residence, Aaron Manswell, has brought his own voice into the scene, drawing heavily from R & B and gospel, and the recent mass trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n In Poverty he draws our attention to many different forms of poverty, especially social and mental poverty, along with pervasive loneliness. This is an act of provocation: arts need the grassroots to thrive, that life prospers with grassroots, and that without these little fragile roots, we are left to fight so hard, lost in the vast barren loneliness. For TMC to sing this work not only highlights the choir\u2019s stylistic flexibility into R & B and gospel, but of its mission and the reason for its existence: community-built and community-sustained.<\/p>\n The soprano soloist Charlotte Siegel<\/strong> was at her best in Manswell\u2019s work, where her voice had ample time and space to show its potential.<\/p>\n The concert brought on many things to ponder beyond music, and TMC gave us some beautiful ethereal moments, making us want more of such excellence. A choir can be many things \u2014 it\u2019s an evolving being, and it will be interesting to see where flair and ambition, under Artistic Director Jean-S\u00e9bastien Vall\u00e9e, will take this choir.<\/p>\n Are you looking to promote an event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong>Mart\u00edn Palmeri\u2019s Misa a Buenos Aires (Misatango)<\/h3>\n
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Composer-in-Residence Aaron Manswell<\/h3>\n
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